Top student employees are honored

Several students were presented cash awards at a Student Employee of the Year luncheon for their outstanding work as top employees on the UH Mānoa campus, according to Noreen Okikawa, director of university student employment. The New Student Program team was also recognized for excellence.

The Office of Career Development and Student Employment announced top honors went to Maria Kanehailua and Tammy Lee Wright Labrash. Kanehailua, the overall winner, was presented a $1,000 cash award for her on-campus job at the Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language. The Hawaiian language major was nominated by her supervisor, Assistant Professor Robert Lopes. The winner of $750 was Labrash, an administrative support staffer at the John A. Burns School of Medicine. The English major was nominated by Administrative Officer Tricia Yamaguchi.

Two other finalists receiving a cash prize of $500 each were Kristin Cueva and Joseph Gum. Cueva is a junior majoring in pre-nursing who works as a clinic clerk in the University Health Services office. She was nominated by Head Nurse Rene Sanehira. Gum is a senior majoring in Information and Computer Sciences who works in the School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology as an electronic shop technician. He was nominated by Marine Research Associate Fernando Santiago-Mandujano.

The team award, presented to the New Student Orientation Program, went to Christine Choi, Nak Yong Choi, Grace Hwang, Melvyne Mitsui, Cherry Lou Rojo and Stephen Nakamura. According to nominator Lisa Kitagawa-Akagi, the team works tirelessly to coordinate all of the New Student Orientation Programs at UH Mānoa, and provides incoming freshmen, transfer students, and their parents/family members with an orientation to campus each summer and spring semester.

UH Mānoa has celebrated the Student Employee of the Year since 1986, recognizing outstanding student employees throughout campus. The cash awards are from proceeds generated by the annual Craft Fair & Silent Auction, traditionally held on campus on the Friday before Thanksgiving. This year’s fair will take place on Friday, November 19, at the Queen Lili‘uokalani Center for Student Services.